Pressure on Junior Golfers

I have moved on past junior golfer and went to watch an event in the local area for junior golfers as one of my friends was playing. I noticed that every kid there seemed almost furious with themselves that they didn't win. I realized that this seems to be reoccuring because when i was 17 i shot my still best ever score of 76. After that people expected the world of me and nonstop would tell me what you can do and other crap. What ever happened to letting the kid who loves the game to just play golf, live life one fairway at a time and not thinking past the next shot. Maybe its just me but i think people need to lay off on the young players.

Very well said. I agree immensely. I have noticed the same things while playing junior golf.

I was thinking about a similar thing the other day and how they are being golfers and not athletes.
The whole idea of sending kids to high school where all they do is live and breathe golf is INSANE!
The academy way is something that I see as being a hinderance to the success of north american golfers specifically. If you think about some of the PGA tour players some had basketball offers and I know Ernie Els played rugby and tennis growing up. There's a few europeans that are big into table tennis as well. I really think that the more sports you play the more talented you'll be at all of them because every sport brings in different aspects of being a good athlete. Also allows for them to de-stress and let go of golf for a while.
Just think about this for a moment...these kids in academies and having their whole life dedicated to golf are essentially starting to work before they can drive or do anything really. Once it becomes your life and like a job, they spend their entire life dedicated to a job. They are essentially work aholics before they are 15. It'd be similar to anyone of you on here working to perfect the profession you're in now all the time from the time you were 15. A bit of a drain no?
I'm not trying to say it's bad to work hard or put time and effort in to a sport or activity. The problem is doing that all the time and having no other focus. Also how you can see them getting "burnt out".

I realize my post is all over the place but I just think people should participate in as many sports as they can and if one ends up taking them somewhere that's just awesome.

Once again, don't quote me on saying don't work hard.

Jamie

[quote name='avsforthecup74' date='22 April 2010 - 01:04 AM' timestamp='1271912663' post='2393903']
I was thinking about a similar thing the other day and how they are being golfers and not athletes.
The whole idea of sending kids to high school where all they do is live and breathe golf is INSANE!
The academy way is something that I see as being a hinderance to the success of north american golfers specifically. If you think about some of the PGA tour players some had basketball offers and I know Ernie Els played rugby and tennis growing up. There's a few europeans that are big into table tennis as well. I really think that the more sports you play the more talented you'll be at all of them because every sport brings in different aspects of being a good athlete. Also allows for them to de-stress and let go of golf for a while.
Just think about this for a moment...these kids in academies and having their whole life dedicated to golf are essentially starting to work before they can drive or do anything really. Once it becomes your life and like a job, they spend their entire life dedicated to a job. They are essentially work aholics before they are 15. It'd be similar to anyone of you on here working to perfect the profession you're in now all the time from the time you were 15. A bit of a drain no?
I'm not trying to say it's bad to work hard or put time and effort in to a sport or activity. The problem is doing that all the time and having no other focus. Also how you can see them getting "burnt out".

I realize my post is all over the place but I just think people should participate in as many sports as they can and if one ends up taking them somewhere that's just awesome.

Once again, don't quote me on saying don't work hard.

Jamie
[/quote]

Those kids are sick, and parents that force that on their kids are delusional. It's sad that so many parents have to live so much through their kids, I mean I know parents do live through their kids, but making your kid a pro golfer because you couldnt be one, won't usually turn out well. I play golf because its fun, but practice a ton and play. I probably put in at least 10-15hours a week practicing, and even though its very very fun, I get burnt out easily.

im 17 and on the highschool golf team. the pressure on junior golfers is intense, ppljudge you by your ability to play golf, everybody dosnt consider golfers athletes. golf is one of the most mental games ive ever played, and as a junior tht can be tough its not easy always being mentaly tough, when things arnt going your way and you cant seem to fix it. so the pressure builds and then the frustration builds.

perfection is intangible

Well, I try to keep it fun for my now 9 year old. Right now, he needs to learn to shake off bad shots on the course and the end of the world will not happen because of it. He needs to learn this not only for golf but for life in general. He's also free to pursue other sports at will....like ice hockey this spring.

But I have an agreement with my son when it comes to golf. I'll pay for clubs, lessons, fees, etc., and all I ask from him is a good effort. The same will go for ice hockey. I don't care about winning right now, because eventually it'll happen.

It does piss me off when one of his golf buddies has a father that pays the kid $1.00 per day to practice golf. What kind of message does that say?

[quote name='Goldenhawk' date='22 April 2010 - 08:58 PM' timestamp='1271984331' post='2395426']
Well, I try to keep it fun for my now 9 year old. Right now, he needs to learn to shake off bad shots on the course and the end of the world will not happen because of it. He needs to learn this not only for golf but for life in general. He's also free to pursue other sports at will....like ice hockey this spring.

But I have an agreement with my son when it comes to golf. I'll pay for clubs, lessons, fees, etc., and all I ask from him is a good effort. The same will go for ice hockey. I don't care about winning right now, because eventually it'll happen.

[u][b]It does piss me off when one of his golf buddies has a father that pays the kid $1.00 per day to practice golf. What kind of message does that say?[/b][/u]
[/quote]

Lol it tells them that most pro golfers are underpaid!!!!(except the top .00001 percent.)

[quote name='Connorws' date='22 April 2010 - 08:07 PM' timestamp='1271981252' post='2395326']
im 17 and on the highschool golf team. the pressure on junior golfers is intense, ppljudge you by your ability to play golf, everybody dosnt consider golfers athletes. golf is one of the most mental games ive ever played, and as a junior tht can be tough its not easy always being mentaly tough, when things arnt going your way and you cant seem to fix it. so the pressure builds and then the frustration builds.

perfection is intangible
[/quote]

Either suck up the pressure or don't play. No one is making you play a competitive sport in a competitive environment.

I don't understand why people are so opposed to teenagers being put under pressure in competitive environments. I played high levels of hockey and baseball growing up (in university now) and always had this pressure on me to do well, especially as a pitcher in baseball. If I didn't want to deal with it, or couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have played the competition levels I was playing at. Any time there is a winner and a loser, there is going to be pressure put on the people competing. It is the nature of sports and competition. Some can handle it and some can't.

[i][b]Either suck up the pressure or don't play. No one is making you play a competitive sport in a competitive environment.[/b][/i]


Exactly ,
..
Either you play for enjoyment and get good at it . If you can n't handle pressure... do n't play tournament golf and have aspirations ,weekend round with buddies is good enough.
If you have aspirations simply put in the hard work and handle mental pressure , otherwise concentrate on something else .
Tough conditions bring the best out of you .
Your green fee is being paid by your parents ... Think Of Hogan or Snead ..

Here is the man himself describing what he had to go through..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic_84wijVWs

sum strange reason, i love peasure, and in touraments when there is peasure, i play better ahha werid eh

suck it up? are u kidding me. i practice my @$$ off. i live golf, love the game. sorry for agreeing.....

[quote name='Connorws' date='23 April 2010 - 05:03 PM' timestamp='1272056638' post='2396946']
suck it up? are u kidding me. i practice my @$ off. i live golf, love the game. sorry for agreeing.....
[/quote]

Your post didn't completely convey the agreement. It kind of sounded like you were complaining. Little mix up there.

I think my point is a little miss interpretated. I really do enjoy the pressure that comes with any sport. I graduated from HS last year with eleven varsity letters recieved many awards in most of my sports. Heck, i wrestled for 14 years (age 4-18) i have stopped that to be a good college student. The pressure i'm refering to is how a childs success is measured. It seems to me that if a kid is 16 and doesn't shot par everytime out the kid is a failure or if by the time he is twenty and not on a major tour. I'm all for the pressure of healthy competition just not the pressure to make the tour if they don't want to. I graduated with a person who at the time of graduation was only a 9-12 handicap and said he said he failed himself in the next 3 years he didn't qualify for at least the nationwide tour. I mean come on.

[quote name='Southern Del uh where' date='23 April 2010 - 10:55 PM' timestamp='1272077737' post='2397462']
I think my point is a little miss interpretated. I really do enjoy the pressure that comes with any sport. I graduated from HS last year with eleven varsity letters recieved many awards in most of my sports. Heck, i wrestled for 14 years (age 4-18) i have stopped that to be a good college student. The pressure i'm refering to is how a childs success is measured. It seems to me that if a kid is 16 and doesn't shot par everytime out the kid is a failure or if by the time he is twenty and not on a major tour. I'm all for the pressure of healthy competition just not the pressure to make the tour if they don't want to. I graduated with a person who at the time of graduation was only a 9-12 handicap and said he said he failed himself in the next 3 years he didn't qualify for at least the nationwide tour. I mean come on.


[/quote]

I agree with you, healthy competition is good, but the kind of pressure some kid's dads put on their 10 year old son, is absolutely sick. But I guess a lot of people put the pressure on themselves. If we're playing in a tournament where the average winner shoots lets say 71(even), and the person is a 12, they probably shouldn't feel like a failure if they don't win. People need to put their skills into perspective more. I think people in golf are more inclined to think they are more skilled then they are, because there aren't very many physical aspects involved. I mean I've heard 10000x more people say, " I could play on the Nationwide tour," yet I haven't heard very many people say, " I could keep up with Evan Turner 1 on 1."